The latest news on New York architecture.

Exciting news! The Board of the Victorian Society voted unanimously to award an acommendation for the renovation of the Banner Building. The Society's awards dinner will be held in St. Augustine, FL, on April 27.

38 Gramercy Park North, a 5-story co-op building just outside New York City’s Gramercy Park Historic District was originally constructed in the mid-1800s as three separate buildings. In the early 1920s it was converted into a single structure and re-clad in a Neo-Tudor style façade. In 2007 the co-op hired Scott Henson Architect LLC to restore the exterior of the building which had fallen into disrepair. Once inspections commenced however, it became clear that the facade’s half-timber and stucco cladding were beyond salvage. After careful consideration of several options, the architect decided to re-clad the building in a new brick and cast stone façade reminiscent of its 3 predecessors.

Green Building:

The preservation, re-use, and recycling of historic buildings is an effective tool for the sustainable stewardship of our environmental resources, including those resources that have already been expended in their construction. The use of new clay facebrick at 38 Gramercy Park North accomplished the project goal of a unified façade while permitting the re-use of the three original buildings substructure, preserving much of the embodied energy of the materials used for their construction. Through this approach, the project embodies some of the most beneficial green strategies in building construction and reinforces the importance and value of historic preservation in sustainability.

Since 1989, the Brick Industry Association has sponsored one of the country's most prestigious architectural award programs - the Brick in Architecture Awards. As the only national association to represent both manufacturers and distributors, BIA is the authority in the clay brick industry. As such, the Brick in Architecture Awards has become the nation's premiere architectural award featuring clay brick. Architectural and design firms from around the country can enter their best material to be judged by a jury of their peers. Any work of residential or non-residential architecture completed within the last five years, in which brick is the dominant building material, is eligible.

Our competitions are conducted entirely online. For ease and convenience, this includes all aspects of registration and entry submission. Entrants are able to revise and enhance their submissions at any point up until the competition's closing date. A firm may submit multiple entries if desired, either within the same category or among multiple categories.

We cordially invite you to submit your best work to the competition! As the largest and most prestigious juried awards program of its kind, the Brick in Architecture Awards showcase the best work in clay face and paving brick from architects across the country in the following categories: • Commercial * • Educational / Schools ** • Health Care Facilities • House of Worship • Municipal / Government / Civic • Residential – Single Family • Residential – Multi-Family • Paving & Landscape Architecture * Includes retail, banking, restaurants, hotels, office/corporate buildings, town centers, mixed use, sporting facilities, theater/arts centers, parking garages, etc. ** Includes residence halls & academic/administrative buildings Best in Class winners will receive national recognition through a special Brick in Architecture insert in the November 2012 issue of Architect Magazine! Other winners will be listed in the insert as well as in Brick News Online. All entrants will be featured on BIA’s Brick Photo Gallery.